Chapter 7
Eliana
“What are the odds I convince you to be my wing woman this weekend?” Nicole walks into my room with an excited look on her face. “I’m thinking we start at Club Café and end at Dani’s.”
“Hmm that depends. Will I be playing the role of your jealous ex-girlfriend to get you out of painful conversations?” I snicker.
“You only had to do thatonce,” she protests.
“And I ended up getting kicked out of the bar because the girl flirting with you thought I was a crazy stalker who couldn’t let you go!” The worst part was I had been tossed out before I could grab my coat. If not for the shots I had taken forming an invisible liquor jacket I would’ve frozen my ass off.
“Don’t act like you didn’t have fun. I even got you on the dance floor!”
“I honestly don’t remember the last time I’ve gotten that drunk.” I remembered the hangover, though. It was not pretty.
“Sounds like the perfect reason to say yes then.” Nicolethrows my closet door open and pulls out a hanger. “You still haven’t worn out this cute little black dress you thrifted?”
“Ugh I know it’s practically screaming at me to be worn out.”
“Perfect. So then Saturday’s a date?”
“Yes! Absolutely. Let me just double-check my calendar…” Ah shit. “Dammit. I’m already booked. I’m watching Kai.”
Nicole’s eyebrows scrunch together. “I thought you had weekends off from nannying?”
“Normally yes, but they’re going to an anniversary dinner and their backup babysitter dropped out last minute. I couldn’t say no.” I mean I probably could’ve, but I loved seeing little Kai babble new words and getting his bearings running around the apartment.
“Well at least you ended up dropping that tutoring gig. You were spreading yourself way too thin.”
“About that…” I wince, preparing for Nicole’s scolding. That was the thing about living with your best friend: they look you in the eye and tell you the cold, hard truth whether you want to hear it or not. Or at least that’s how Nicole and I operated.
“I have a bad feeling I’m not going to like this.” Nicole sits on my bed, crossing her arms.
“Violet, didn’t he show up thirty minutes late and ask you to do his homework for him?”
“Yes...except I may have left out the part where I still agreed to be his tutor despite all of that.” I give Nicole a sheepish smile, hoping she’ll go easy on me.
“I’m sorry, say that again. I must have misheard you.”
“I said I’m Jake’s tutor.”
“Well Jake is a very common name. This simply must be a different Jake than the one you ranted about for threehours?—”
“Two hours?—”
“Forthree hoursto me a few days ago. It has to be someone else. A different Jake. Either that or you managed to give yourself a minor concussion that also comes with amnesia. Or maybe you’re really sick and hallucinating. That could also be it.” She shakes her head before walking over to me, pretending to check my vitals. “Don’t worry, if you’re coming down with something, I can take you to the hospital.”
“Are you done now?” I roll my eyes, batting her hand away.
“I am satisfied for the moment, yes. Please continue.”
“It’s the same Jake I spent three hours venting to you about. And before you give me too much shit for it, you should’ve seen his face when he realized I was serious.He just looked so helpless and I…I just caved, okay?” I drag my hands over my face, too embarrassed to face Nicole, who I know was trying her best not to look at me with pity. She never had any issues telling people no or actually keeping the boundaries she put in place. Me, on the other hand…”I’m an absolute sucker, aren’t I?”
“No, you’re not. You just have a soft heart for anyone who's had it rough and a tendency to spread yourself too thin to try help everyone you think needs saving instead of imposing boundaries for yourself.”
“Damn. You sound a lot like my therapist.”
“Well maybe you should listen to both of us and give yourself a break. Starting with pulling out of this tutoring gig. Seriously, I don't know how you’re managing to stay afloat with all the different things you’re juggling right now.”
